Click here to view the embedded video. The Grey Whale Sessions-named after the gray Volvo the guys drive in the film-premiered yesterday at the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach. The movie was made by the Malloy brothers, with a soundtrack by G. Love (here's hoping he releases this in some capacity!). There's always something relaxing and cathartic about surfing/travelogue movies. Makes me wish in another lifetime that I was a surfer. Outside Magazine has an interview with Chris Christenson, a surfboard maker, and participant [...]
An Earthquake Was Felt in the Heart of Hollywood. Celebrities, like everyone else, took to Twitter after an earthquake hit Baja, California on Easter Sunday afternoon. The earthquake was registered as a 7.2. As it turns out the California earthquake hit the epicenter of the show business world, leaving many to wonder if celebrities were affected by the California earthquake. Thanks to the marvels of Twitter, we got an instant, real-time reaction from celebrities who experienced the earthquake. [...]
KarmaloopTV gives us a bit of insight and behind-the-scenes footage of the Okayplayer 2009 Holiday Jammy featuring the likes of The Roots,the cast of Fela, Blitz Ambassador, Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew and special appearances from Mos Def, Brother Ali and Jay Electronica!
Is everybody sober yet? Did you enjoy your holiday with family, loved ones and friends? Mine was pretty disappointing, seeing as how for the first time in my life I didn't know what my "plans" were until the middle of the afternoon. I guess as long as there is a barbecue at the destination things can't be too bad, but it certainly felt a lot different from past July 4ths. I think next year maybe we'll have a Swan Fungus party with fine beers and a room filled with despicable elitists. This website should have a massive enough audience by [...]
The loose German collective known as Baja has drawn numerous comparisons since its stunning 2006 debut Maps/Systemalheur (see: Swan Fungus' Top 100 Albums Of 2007 , whoops!), specifically to Gastr del Sol and David Grubbs. The comparisons have some merit, as Baja's chief engineer Daniel Vujanic has a comparably unique ear for deconstructing musical tropes and melding various genres into a single composition. 2008's Wolfhour (see: Swan Fungus' Top 100 Albums Of 2008 ) exemplified Vujanic's ability to create symphonic yet minimalist pieces that render classification impossible. The latest Baja release, entitled Aether [...]
Abituato, soprattutto dai miei studi, ad un approccio metodico ed oggettivo con le cose che mi circondano e le situazioni in cui mi trovo, di fronte ad “Aether Obelisk” tutte le mie certezze di metodo non possono che ‘cadere’. È impensabile rapportarsi a questo cd come ci si rapporta alla stragrande maggioranza degli album che mi è capitato di recensire finora perché è qualcosa di completamente diverso. Mi trovo davanti ad un album, per certi aspetti, ‘futuristico’; perché come il ‘futurismo’ affermava che la letteratura non sarebbe stata sorpassata dal progresso ma lo avrebbe assorbito nella sua [...]
The windmills on the logo of the Other Electricities label aren't what they are tilting at. They are taking aim at a bigger target: the building of a expansive and eclectic catalogue of forward-thinking music. Avant rock, experimental electronica and all manner of strange folk are finding a home here. With a [...]
The second single from Hospice takes its time getting going, but who cares it's The Antlers . Dig it. Downloadable: "Bear" (box.net mp3) Download the first single "Two"... here . Hospice is set for self-release on March 3rd. Check out the album art by Zan Goodman ... here . At 8:30pm on January 22nd, The Antlers are the first band to play at the Naked Hearts record release show at The Cake Shop . See them LIVE! Here's [...]
Hi everybody. I'm glad you could all make it. Welcome to the annual "Best Albums Of..." post, which is usually the time I put effort into composing a blog entry. In 2005 I wrote small blurbs about the top twenty-five albums of the year. In 2006 I wrote three-word reviews for the 50 best records of the year. Last year I went so far as to craft a complete sentence for my favorite 100 albums of 2007. This year...I don't know, I haven't started the list yet. I think I'm just going to write blurbs about the albums for which [...]
After a nice dinner last night at the new Michaelangelo's location in Silver Lake last night, I realized that I didn't have enough time to compile a mix tape and put together the White Hills review. White Hills gets preferential treatment over mix tapes, so that's why I'm posting the mix now, on Monday. I hope you won't mind the tardiness, I think this one's pretty far out there... RULES for uninitiated noobs : With roughly 100MB of webspace, I give birth to a weekly Mix Tape to be deposited on your iPods or [...]
Mascara - Baja (MP3) A quick disco fix in the way of Mascara, and their fantastically narrated, bilingual hit, 'Baja'. Produced by Jurgen S. Korduletsch and mixed by the 80's workhorse "Jellybean" Benitez , this was released on both Oh MY! and Personal Records back in 1984... Most plays of this 123 come in the form of the ' instrumental dub version' on the flip; which can also be found on such frustrating bootleg compilations as "The Original Sound Of The White Island". However, in my humble opinion, the vocal version is where [...]
Today (the day after the day after the day after the Winter Solstice, as pictured above) is my 1,001st post since starting this blog. In celebration of reaching the 1K mark, I have put together an utterly massive Mix Tape for you. Bandwidth, be damned! I speak without hyperbole when I say that life cannot get much better than it is right now. After a full day of work yesterday, a co-worker and I ducked into Red Lion for a bite to eat. We were first joined by her boyfriend, then later by Phoebe, Rebecca, Sari (plus a [...]
Baja - A River Splits Love and Spits Out Bones (Arctic Rodeo 2007) Baja – Aloha Ahab / Arctic Rodeo As much as I hate to say it, the most refreshing music is near always poured from unexpected sources. Listening to music you have heard time and time again by your utmost favorite artists is more giving in to your comfort zone than trying to revitalize your ears. For me at least, to truly replenish those weary, jaded eardrums, and really reinvigorate my interest in the [...]
I'm sure you're all being slaves to the television and watching Academy Awards-related programming, but I have chosen to compile for you a new Mix Tape. Tomorrow you will be blessed with Episode 5 of The Best Podcast You Have , Circulations Amethyst. The title is "Vibrophile". I thought "Heroin Cheek" would've been funnier. Normally I don't pay any attention whatsoever to the names of these Mix Tapes. You could download them and conjure your own titles, for all I care. This week I received a nice comment from Tim in Cairo, Egypt, and after a couple [...]
Baja - Anatomy and Variation (mp3) - Maps (Stilll 2007) Baja - Nona's Theme (mp3) - Systemalheur (Stilll 2007) Baja - Maps/Systemalheur / Stilll After spending the majority of the week reviewing records from pretty substantial names, probably the most obscure band of the bunch easily takes my vote for "Best Album I’ve Heard in a While" (a coveted prize). German composer, musician and sound artist, Daniel Vujanic, and his loose collective known as Baja conjure an amazing array of subtly moving [...]
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